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Man charged after explosion at Dunmurry police station

News imagePacemaker An officer in a forensic suit observes the aftermath of an explosion outside a police station. The wreckage of a car is shown, it has sustained significant fire damage. There is a police station in the background and a row of houses on the opposite side of the street. Debris is strewn across the entrance to the streetPacemaker
The 66-year-old was arrested under the Terrorism Act on Tuesday in the Dunmurry area

A man has been charged with attempted murder after an attack on Dunmurry Police Station on Saturday.

The 66-year-old was arrested under the Terrorism Act on Tuesday 28 April in the Dunmurry area.

He has been charged with a number of offences including causing an explosion and possessing explosives.

The man is expected to appear before Lisburn Magistrates' Court on Saturday.

All charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.

Shortly after 22:50 BST on Saturday a delivery driver's car was hijacked in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast.

The vehicle was fitted with a gas cylinder device and he was forced to drive it to the police station, on the outskirts of Belfast.

News imageA map of the Dunmurry area taken from overhead, showing the location of the police station and otehr nearby streets.

The police said they believed the attack may have been carried out by the dissident republican group known as the New IRA.

The attack took place in a built-up area, close to family homes in which many children were in bed asleep.

Several residents, including two babies, were taken to safety by officers when the bomb exploded.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said no one was injured or killed thanks to the swift action taken by officers.

The full list of charges against the 66-year-old include attempted murder, possessing explosives with intent to endanger life or cause serious injury to property and causing an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property.

He has also been charged with possession of articles for use in terrorism and hijacking.

The attack in Dunmurry came just weeks after a similar incident at Lurgan police station.

A controlled explosion was carried out on the bomb in that attack.

News imagePacemaker Press Two forensic officers are next to the remains of a car that's exploded. Parts of the frames remain. Debris is lying around on the street. The forensic officers are wearing white overalls and a blue mask on their faces.Pacemaker Press
The bomb exploded on Saturday night in Dunmurry

Who are dissident republicans?

The term "dissident republicans" describes a range of individuals who do not accept the Good Friday Agreement - the 1998 peace deal which ended the worst of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The Provisional IRA - the main armed republican paramilitary group for most of the Troubles - declared a ceasefire in the run up to the agreement and officially ended its violent campaign in 2005.

Dissident republicanism is made up of various groups which broke away from the Provisional IRA in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, including the Continuity IRA and New IRA.

The groups are much smaller than the Provisional IRA, although they have access to high-calibre weapons and have used improvised explosive devices and mortars in attacks and attempted attacks.